Arthur Joseph Curry (New Earth)
Sword of Atlantis In an effort to raise Sub Diego, the original Aquaman gives his body and mind to the Sea Gods and becomes vessel for a dark terrible power. Now an amnesiac monster calling himself Dweller in the Depths, he telepathically contacts Arthur Joseph Curry believing him to be the real Aquaman. Mistakenly remembering his own life story as prophecy, the Dweller encourages Arthur Joseph Curry to become the new Aquaman; they travel the sea together alongside King Shark, whom he also believes to be crucial to his destiny. Returning to his home, he finds it ravaged and bullet-ridden. Not knowing where his father was taken, his only destination is a great-uncle's lighthouse in Maine. Mera, attempting to help her people survive and recuperate in the wake of Atlantis' destruction, thanks him for freeing her people from Aurati raiders; the Dweller is unable to face her. Arthur is forced to duel her warrior Atsiul over a manner of honor, winning his first real fight. Following his near robbery at the hands of a merwoman named Tejaia, he discovers the Windward Home; this massive think-tank run by Jimmy Lockhart, Else Magnusson and the Sea Devils is also home to Atlantean dignitary Vulko's ghost. Later Arthur finds the humanoid squid Topo, a naive youth attracted by superheroics, seeking to become a sidekick, and Tempest, now amnesiac, unable to breathe water and implanted with a post-hypnotic suggestion warning of an upcoming battle. The battle soon occurs, and the Dweller/Orin is apparently killed. The Justice League is called in to evaluate Orin's situation, but are unable to determine if he is truly dead, or if he can somehow resurrect himself due to his new magical nature. Eventually, Aquaman was visited by the Lady of the Lake who explained his origins. The original Aquaman had given a sample of his water hand to Dr Curry in order to resurrect his dead son, Arthur, whom he had named after Orin. When Orin attempted to resurrect Sub Diego, part of his soul attached itself to the dead body of Arthur Joseph Curry, while Orin's physical form mutated into the Dweller. Blaming himself for Orin's death, Aquaman vows to never be called "Arthur" again, refraining from using the "stolen" name, asking only to be called Joseph in the future. Arthur was considered as a candidate for the new Outsiders by Batman. After seeing him in action with Metamorpho, however, Batman decides against his induction. In their quest to rid the Earth of all forms of kryptonite, Superman and Batman found a massive lump on the sea floor. The two of them were met with hostility by Aquaman and King Shark. A brief fight ensues, but eventually Joseph allows them to take what they came for. Before doing so, he points out that not everyone may want Superman to find all of Earth's kryptonite, and that he would have to be at least part human to know that. Retirement Curry was recently shown that he felt that he was not appreciated in his own right as the New King of Atlantis as many mere-citizens stated him to only be Orin reincarnated and not his own person, nor by others as Aquaman. Curry was shown to have abandoned both roles, leaving the familar costume of Aquaman and the ruling trident on Orin's throne when Tempest, formerly known as Aqualad, visited Curry. . Curry's current whereabouts are presently unknown. | Powers = * : He is artificially biologically adapted to the deep ocean environment, giving them the ability to breathe underwater, enhanced sight, hearing and strength. He can withstand extremes of temperature and pressure that allow him to plunge into the ocean depths and resurface without harm. His metabolism must also be extremely efficient, given that he does not seem to suffer the effects of nitrogen narcosis, the bends or other deep sea ailments common to normal humans, under normal conditions. Any instance that might require that he surface in less than 10 seconds would still cause the nitrogen bubbles to form in his bloodstream. ** : Aquaman, can breathe both water and air, but must return to the aquatic environment at various intervals; this length can be prolonged by the humidity in the atmosphere. ** ** ** ** ** ** ** * : He now speaks and understands the languages of the sentient sea peoples unaided, and has a limited ability to communicate with non-sentient sea life. He cannot speak directly to them as his predecessor could, but can send and receive emotional impressions and desires, such as communicating a need for help. He is working to expand the latter ability, and in one instance has been able to "see" through the eyes of nearby fish. | Abilities = * | Strength = | Weaknesses = | Equipment = | Transportation = | Weapons = * Sword | Notes = * Arthur Joseph Curry is the grand-nephew of Orin's adoptive father Tom Curry, but it is hinted that his powers also stem from Orin's DNA. His father mentions that Anton Geist was involved in the procedure to save his life as a child, the same man responsible for the Sub Diego incident. * Arthur's origin as an altered human, not an Atlantean, is similar to the Golden Age Aquaman of Earth-Two. * At one point, when Cyborg helps Arthur Joseph Curry on an adventure, Vic suggests he come visit the Teen Titans. Cyborg had been mentoring the team as the roster filled with younger recruits, but Vic himself was already around 24 years old, and Arthur was only 22. So Arthur's joining the Teen Titans seems like it could have been a possibility. In addition, Aquagirl was concurring with Vic that the TT is a good group. | Trivia = | Recommended = * Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis | Wikipedia = Aquaman#Arthur Joseph Curry | Links = }} Category:Accident of Science Category:Aquaman Category:Scientific Experimentation Category:2006 Character Debuts